The Washington Post called Victuals “a love letter to Appalachia, with recipes.” If those seven words aren’t enough to convince you to pick up Ronni Lundy’s new cookbook, the heartfelt narration and evocative photography inside should do the trick.more

As a kid, I whipped up my share of mud pies and looked forward to summer camp and games of Kick the Can with my cousins on our grandparents’ farm. But most days I could be found inside, nose in a book.more

Salt Rising Bread emerges from the oven a dense, white, cheesy taste sensation that’s as distinctive as it is obscure. Fans claim it makes the absolute best toast; even famed chef Alice Waters has fallen under its spell.more

The making of chow-chow involves far more than the blending of vinegar, vegetables, and spices. Canning this mysterious relish, made for generations in the Mountain South, signals change and ingenuity.more

It’s a strange thing, the banjo. Some skin and strings. It looks as if its maker couldn’t decide between percussion and chordophone, and just threw the two together. And then there’s this string that doesn’t even reach the full length of the neck.more

Across the South, more women are wielding the knives and making masterful menus in what have traditionally been male-dominated kitchens—leading exciting eateries that are reawakening palates and reinvigorating communities.more

It’s a beautiful late winter day and the hills are alive with the sound of, well—hoarse ducks? If your late winter sojourns take you into wet areas, keep your ears open for the croaking or “quacking” of wood frogs, Rana sylvatica.more

I’ve never been much of a maker, though that’s not for lack of trying. An artistic streak got me through graphic design courses in college and these days keeps my home stocked with odds and ends from the hobby shop.more

When I was 11, a family road trip brought me to North Carolina’s Sapphire Valley. One afternoon, while panning for gems at one of the area’s tourist mines, I spotted a crystalline rock about the size of a thumbnail.more